The Breakup
The world around me had slowed down, and all I could focus on was the betrayal unfolding before my eyes. My chest tightened, the anger bubbling up from deep within me, threatening to spill over.
Without thinking, I pushed through the crowd, my movements stiff and jerky. People glanced at me, some with curious eyes, others with concern, but I didn't care. My entire focus was on Olivia.
The sight of her with him her hand on his chest, her lips brushing against his was like a dagger twisting in my gut. How could she do this? How could she throw everything we had away so carelessly?
When I finally reached her, I didn't wait for her to notice me. I grabbed her arm, yanking her away from him, my grip firm and unforgiving.
She looked up, startled, her eyes wide as she met my gaze. For a split second, I saw a flicker of guilt in her expression, but it was quickly masked by something else defiance.
"What the hell, Olivia?" I spat, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and pain. "What the fuck are you doing?"
She pulled her arm free, straightening up as if she hadn't just been caught red-handed. "Camille, it's not what it looks like," she started, but I wasn't having any of it.
"Don't you dare lie to me!" I snapped, the words coming out harsher than I intended. "I saw you! I saw you with him, Olivia! How could you do this to me? To us?"
The guy, sensing the tension, quickly backed away, disappearing into the crowd like the coward he was. But Olivia just stood there, crossing her arms over her chest as if she had every right to be pissed off.
"Camille, calm down," she said, her tone infuriatingly even. "It's not what you think."
"Calm down?" I echoed, my voice rising. "You want me to calm down? After what I just saw?"
She sighed, rolling her eyes in that way that always made me feel like I was overreacting, like my emotions didn't matter. "Look, it was just a kiss. It didn't mean anything."
"Just a kiss?" I repeated, disbelief coloring my words. "You're seriously trying to downplay this? After everything we've been through?"
"God, Camille, it's not like you've been the perfect girlfriend either!" she shot back, her voice sharp now, laced with frustration. "You're always so wrapped up in basketball, in your stupid fucking dreams, that you barely even notice me anymore! Do you even care about us? Or is it all about you and your damn career?"
Her words hit me like a slap in the face, the sting of them making my eyes burn with unshed tears. "That's not fair, Olivia," I said, my voice cracking. "I've been doing everything I can to balance everything to be there for you, for us. But this… this is how you repay me?"
She threw her hands up in exasperation. "What do you want from me, Camille? You're leaving for America soon anyway! What, was I just supposed to wait around for you to forget about me once you're off chasing your WNBA dreams? You're the one who's going to leave me behind, so don't act like you're some innocent victim here!"
I stared at her, my heart breaking a little more with each word. How had we gotten here? How had the person I loved, the person I thought I knew better than anyone, turned into this stranger in front of me?
"So, what?" I demanded, my voice cold now. "You decided to cheat on me because you're scared I'll leave you behind? You think that's a fucking excuse?"
She scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "You were going to leave me behind anyway. At least this way, I'm not the one getting screwed over."
The venom in her words took my breath away, the raw anger and bitterness cutting deeper than any wound I'd ever felt before. I could feel the tears building up, but I refused to let them fall, not here, not in front of her. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.
"Well, congratulations," I said, my voice shaking. "You've managed to screw us both over. I hope it was worth it."
Olivia flinched, but she quickly masked it with a glare. "You're overreacting, Camille. It was just a kiss. We could have talked about this, but no, you always have to make everything so damn dramatic."
"Dramatic?" I laughed bitterly, shaking my head in disbelief. "I just caught my girlfriend kissing someone else, and you think I'm being dramatic? Fuck you, Olivia. We're done."
She opened her mouth to say something, but I didn't wait to hear it. I turned on my heel, shoving past the crowd as I made my way to the exit.
The music, the laughter, the clinking of glasses all of it faded into a distant hum as I pushed through the front door and into the night.
The cold air hit me like a slap, sharp and unforgiving, but it was a relief after the suffocating heat of the villa.
I needed to get out of here. I needed to get away from all of it from the party, from Olivia, from the crushing weight of what had just happened.
My fingers felt clumsy as I dialed my mother's number, each ring on the other end only heightening the sense of urgency, the need to escape.
Finally, she picked up. "Camille? What's wrong?"
Her voice was soft, concerned, and just hearing it made the tears I'd been holding back spill over.
"M-Mom," I stammered, my voice breaking. "Can you… can you come pick me up? Please?"
"Of course, sweetheart. Where are you?"
I gave her the address, my voice trembling as I tried to keep it together. She didn't ask any more questions, just told me she'd be there as soon as she could. I hung up, my hands still shaking as I stood there on the sidewalk, the cold seeping into my bones.
Time seemed to stretch out endlessly as I waited, the minutes dragging by like hours. The pain in my chest was relentless, a constant ache that made it hard to breathe.
I wanted to scream, to cry, to hit something, anything to release the hurt and anger that was tearing me apart from the inside out.
When I finally saw my mother's car pull up, the tears started falling in earnest. I stumbled towards the car, my legs feeling like they might give out at any moment. My mom got out, her eyes wide with concern as she rushed over to me.
"Oh, Camille," she murmured, wrapping her arms around me as I collapsed against her. "It's okay, honey. I'm here. I'm here."
I buried my face in her shoulder, my body shaking with sobs. The floodgates had opened, and there was no stopping the torrent of emotions that poured out of me. I clung to her, the only solid thing in a world that had suddenly turned upside down.
She didn't say anything, just held me tight, her hand rubbing soothing circles on my back as I cried. Eventually, the sobs subsided, leaving me feeling drained, empty. I pulled back, wiping at my tear-streaked face, and my mom gave me a small, sad smile.
"Let's get you home," she said softly, guiding me towards the car.
The drive home was silent, the only sound the soft hum of the engine and the occasional sniffle as I tried to pull myself together.
My mom kept glancing at me, her eyes filled with concern, but she didn't press me for details. She knew me well enough to understand that I wasn't ready to talk about it yet.
As we pulled up to the house, I felt a fresh wave of exhaustion wash over me. I was emotionally spent, every muscle in my body aching from the tension.
My mom parked the car, and I stared out the window at our house, the familiar sight both comforting and bittersweet. Everything had changed in the span of a few hours, and I wasn't sure how to make sense of it.
"Camille," my mom said gently, breaking the silence. "I know you're hurting right now, but we'll get through this. You're strong, and you're not alone. We're all here for you."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I appreciated her words, but right now, the pain was too raw, too overwhelming. All I could do was focus on getting through the night, one breath at a time.
We got out of the car, and I followed her inside, the warmth of the house a stark contrast to the cold emptiness I felt inside.
As I climbed the stairs to my room, each step felt like a monumental effort. When I finally reached my bed, I collapsed onto it, curling up under the covers as if I could hide from the world.
But no matter how tightly I wrapped myself in the blankets, I couldn't escape the images playing over and over in my mind.
Olivia's smile, her kiss, her words. It all haunted me, a painful reminder of how everything I thought I knew had been shattered in an instant.
As I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, I knew that this was only the beginning. I was heartbroken, yes, but I was also angry, angry at Olivia, at myself, at the universe for dealing me such a cruel hand.
And as the hours passed, that anger began to harden into something else, something that would push me forward.
Because no matter how much this hurt, I wasn't going to let it break me. I had my dreams, my goals, and a future that I had worked too damn hard to lose now. And if Olivia couldn't see that, if she couldn't be a part of it, then that was on her.
What a bad day.